A H1 Risk Assessment is a method for gauging risks of certain aspects of your
activities. Below we have jumped straight in to an example, as to why an H1 Risk
Assessment is required:
There are four major steps in completing an H1
Risk Assessment, the first is to identify the risks associated with your
permitted activity, the second is to assess those risks, the third to decide on
appropriate measures (and to justify those measures, and finally to present your
findings to the Regulator (Environment Agency).
If you have any question regarding H1 Risk Assessments in connection with
Environmental Permits then please contact SWEL
for a free initial consultation.
SWEL have completed numerous H1 Assessments for various installations and
discharge activities. The "meat" of the work is finding the data
to put into the assessment, the rest is quite easy. The job can be very quick if
the data is to hand but in most cases it is not, which may require monitoring or
consultations with various bodies. For a H1 assessment for an Installation
Permit we would require quite a lot of data.
Indirect Emissions
This
covers thing like electricity use . . . .
global warming potential and the likes.
Direct Emissions
This would deal with discharges to water, air and land. In each case you
will need a wealth of data in order to populated the H1 software. The
Environment Agency ordinarily insist on MCerts accredited monitoring. An example
might be NOx, SOx or POx.
Environmental Data
River flow by volume, water quality and air quality, these are required to
populate the
H1 Assessment Software.
H1 Software Use
Once you have all of you data in place, this is put in to the H1 Software
(which is freely available) and hopefully when you consider the volume of
output, the concentration of output, the back ground level and the dilution and
dispersion, then the substances such as lead, or copper will "screen out" if
they do then this is good news. If they do not then you will either have to
upgrade your abatement or treatment systems or undertake detailed modeling.
Detailed Monitoring
If the H1 tool does not screen out for a particular substance, then
detailed modeling will have to be undertaken. This involves using a program such
a
aermod, to calculate concentration of certain substances at certain points.
You may avoid abatement & treatment upgrades if it can be shown that
concentrations are acceptable at nearby receptor locations.
There are two screening levels within the the Air Impacts section of the
H1 modeling software:
Stage 1 Screening
If you process contribution (emission) greater than 1% or 10% of the EAL
(Environmental Assessment Level) then it will screen out at this stage. The EAL
for different substances depends on the potential for harm that they have. For
example PM10 particulates are thought to be less harmful than than PM2.5
Particulates and as such have a higher EAL. Some substances such a Chromium 6
have a very very low EAL. Because they are intensely carcinogenic.
Stage 2 Screening
In stage two screening various additional variables are added to the model. The
main additional variable is Background Concentration. This can help of hinder
you cuase in terms of screening out, but in our experience you are more likely
to screen out at Stage 2 rather than Stage 1.
When you have received the monitoring data (as above) it is time to start
experimenting within the H1 modeling software to see whether you will need
abatement. The key here is to have conducted the
right kind of monitoring. Each set of monitoring may take a month or so to
arrange, it is best to get it all done in one hit. The way to do this is set up
a test rig which includes an array of abatement technologies, say a scrubber, a
centrifuge and a GAC filter. Monitoring is done at each stage of the test rig.
This allows you to obtain data for a variety of
abatement options simultaneously.
BAT - Best Available Technique
BATAEL - Best Available Technique Associated Emissions Level
EAL - Environmental Assessment Level
EQS - Environmental Quality Standard
H - Horizontal (Guidance)
NCCC - National Customer Contact Centre
OPRA - Operational Risk Appraisal
PC - Process Contribution
PEC - Predicted Environmental Concentration
PHS - Priority Hazardous Substance
PCOP - Photochemical ozone potential
Q95 - Freshwater flow equalled or exceeded for 95% of the year
TraC - Transitional and Coastal